The Story of Two Arrancar
by Aria6
Summary: Ichigo's human body dies when he's out being a shinigami. Without that anchor, his hollow quickly ascends and he goes to Hueco Mundo. What happens when Aizen finds the powerful hollow and turns him into an arrancar? And Grimmjow becomes his fraccion? Many interesting things... lemons will happen. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

"I still can't believe Aizen managed to catch that thing." Grimmjow was trying to sound unimpressed, but in truth, he was in awe of the accomplishment. Ulquiorra stood beside him, watching the horrifying hollow struggling with his bonds. They were a strange black metal and like nothing Grimmjow had seen before.

"It was a fascinating struggle to watch." Ulquiorra allowed, gazing at the hollow consideringly. "He was powerful in life, and it seems his power has only increased in death." Grimmjow grimaced at that, looking away.

He'd enjoyed fighting Ichigo. It had sometimes even gotten him hard, thinking about how they would fight the next time and how he'd beat the tough shinigami to shit with his bare hands. How he'd enjoyed it! He'd never expected the damn shi… no, the damn _human_ would be so fragile and just up and die on him.

And it had just been so completely random. Grimmjow had finally gotten the whole story out of Ulquiorra, and it unsettled him. Ichigo's body, with that stupid mod soul inside, had gone to the mall. Someone had planted a pipe bomb at the mall to kill their old boss. Mod soul happened to stop in the wrong store. End of story, so sad, game over. It made Grimmjow feel a little sick. Not that Kurosaki was dead, but that it just… _happened._ Humans didn't have any hierro, no way to protect themselves. They could be walking down the street and oh look! It's OVER! He wondered how they could stand it. Grimmjow thought that it would have driven him insane.

A deafening scream shook the building and Grimmjow winced before plugging one of his ears. It wouldn't help much, but Ichigo's hollow seemed hell bent on destroying everyone's sanity. With his body dead and Ichigo despairing for his friends and family, he'd lost himself to his hollow right away. Or maybe it had been because he was basically a living Vizard. Maybe having a hollow inside had made him more vulnerable. Either way, he'd come to Hueco Mundo and proceeded to completely fuck things up. Grimmjow hadn't encountered the marauding spirit himself, but Ichigo had started out with Vasto Lorde powers and seemed to need to feed on very powerful hollows. That would change a bit when Aizen cracked his mask, thankfully, but until Aizen had caught him he'd mostly been feeding on the arrancar. The Numeros were utterly terrified and Nnoitra was dead. Grimmjow wouldn't miss him a bit, but the fact that the other Espada had been devoured by this thing was frightening.

"I only hope he gets his mind back when Aizen cracks the mask." Grimmjow muttered. He wasn't sure Kurosaki would. All the other arrancar had been sane _before_ the mask was cracked. Would this shock him back to reality or would he still be completely nuts? If he was irredeemably insane, Grimmjow was willing to bet Aizen would use the Hogyoku to just obliterate him. He scowled at the thought. He wanted to fight the damned kid again! "And I'll win this time." He growled.

"No, you won't." Ulquiorra said with assurance and Grimmjow glared at him. "He would kill you. His power will have to be evaluated, but when his mask is broken he will likely take his place as the zero Espada."

"Yammy's got that spot." Grimmjow growled, but it sounded weak even to him. Yammy was ten until he released, then he was zero. So maybe they could just share the zero designation. If not, there would be a shuffle, but it was hardly the first time. "You really think he will be that powerful?" He couldn't help but be skeptical. Ulquiorra just looked at him and Grimmjow finally shrugged irritably. "Fine, fine. We'll have to see if he keeps his sanity first. How long is Aizen going to drag this out?"

"He is readying the Hogyoku. He wants Ichigo's mask to be shattered precisely the right way." Ulquiorra said before looking down. All the Espada were watching, perched high above the holding pen. Ichigo had been too dangerous to drag inside, so it would be done in the open air, where everyone could see. The lower ranking arrancar were notably absent, probably cowering under the beds.

"What, to make him prettier?" Grimmjow snorted then stiffened as he felt the power begin to build. "Oh shit, there it is." Aizen wasn't even making any speeches and shit. That unmitigated bastard Tosen was standing beside him, along with Gin. Grimmjow narrowed his eyes as he looked at Tosen. He wanted to kill that shinigami, slowly, for taking his arm.

_Another reason why I couldn't take Kurosaki now._ He thought to himself moodily, looking at the monster in the pit. If he couldn't take the human version, what made him think he could take this thing? _Fucking depressing._ He hated being relegated to Luppi's fraccion.

Then Hogyoku suddenly blazed to life and Grimmjow had to cover his eyes with his remaining hand. The light was stronger than he'd ever seen before, and it bit into him painfully as the creature below screamed. The scream rose higher and higher, until Grimmjow felt like his eardrums were being ripped out. Then it abruptly died and he lowered his hand, blinking.

"Holy shit." He muttered as he looked at the result. The brand new arrancar was completely naked, still standing up, his pale body covered in sweat. Long orange hair streamed out behind him, and the remains of his hollow shell made a pretty kind of armor on his shoulders and upper chest. Grimmjow had to admit that it was damned attractive. The kid's hollow hole was in the same spot as his own, abdomen level.

"Hnnn." There was a groan from the monster… no, arrancar below them. Everyone waited breathlessly to see what would happen next. "What?" There was a rippling sigh through the watching Espada. Only Ulquiorra seemed unaffected. "Who?" Ichigo raised his head and Grimmjow drew a breath as he saw the kid had bright red marks beside his eyes, similar to the green ones on his face.

"Do you know who you are?" Aizen walked in front of the boy, looking at Ichigo consideringly. The new arrancar blinked several times, tilting his head to one side.

"I am Ichigo." He said and Grimmjow tensed. If Ichigo remembered everything, Aizen would probably – "Who are you?" He asked, his tone so innocent and childlike that the blue haired Espada relaxed. It seemed the new arrancar remembered his name, but that was it.

"I am Aizen, and I am the ruler here." Aizen said and Ichigo seemed to accept that immediately. "You are now one of my Espada. We will have to evaluate your power to decide where to place you."

"Yes Aizen-sama." Ichigo said obediently as Aizen paused. Grimmjow blinked a bit at the ready deference. He hadn't expected that from Kurosaki, but maybe he was in a bit of shock. Grimmjow could still remember what it had felt like to get his mask broken. It had been worth it, but painful as hell.

"But you have no fraccion. Grimmjow." Grimmjow tensed as he saw Aizen look up and motion him down. Taking a breath, he leapt down and landed easily in the sand. He had a bad feeling he knew where this was going, but there wasn't a damned thing he could do to stop it. "You will be the first of Ichigo's fraccion. Luppi has graciously agreed to donate you to our new comrade." Grimmjow froze in outrage and glanced up to see Luppi smirking at him. It was bad enough to be in Luppi's fraccion, but this…! "Before you speak, reflect on the fact that you will be serving a more powerful Espada. In many ways, your ranking will increase considerably." Grimmjow forced down a hot retort. Any rank below ten was meaningless, and Aizen was just playing with him. "Now, unchain him and see to his needs. Until he adds more to his fraccion, you will be responsible for his care." Vicious words bubbling in his throat, Grimmjow began undoing the chains, tugging on them with unnecessary force. Ichigo just jerked in the chains and Grimmjow glanced at him, seeing how dazed his expression was. _Shock from getting his mask smashed, no doubt about it._ Snorting, Grimmjow released the final chain and watched the fledgling arrancar faceplant into the sand. "Grimmjow." Aizen's voice was gently warning and he took a deep breath, kneeling beside Ichigo.

"I can't carry him with just one arm." He growled. It would be pretty damn difficult, at least. "Hey, Ichigo, can you walk a little? Help me out here." The arrancar stirred and began to pull himself up, to Grimmjow's relief.

"I'm fine." Ichigo said and Grimmjow scowled. He didn't sound fine at all, he sounded faint and shocky. About what you'd expect from a brand new arrancar.

"Lean on me." He said through gritted teeth, putting an arm around Ichigo's shoulders. The kid leaned on him and went with him obediently. "You're getting Nnoitra's old rooms, since you ate him." Sort of a spoils of war thing. Grimmjow wondered if they'd just give Ichigo his rank too, but probably not. He was more powerful than that bastard, obviously.

"I did? I don't remember that. I hope he wasn't a friend of yours." Ichigo said and Grimmjow barked a laugh. A friend? Nnoitra?

"Fuck no! No one could stand him. Good riddance. Just don't eat anyone else and you should be fine." He assured Ichigo, who nodded solemnly, blinking eyes that were shaded a bit with red now. Grimmjow wondered if this new attitude was because he'd lost his memories, or just the shock of the breaking mask. Ichigo sure did seem pliant. "Now, let me show you how everything works." Ichigo might remember how faucets and shit worked, since he'd been human once, but he might not too. Grimmjow showed him everything and got him into a generic uniform before speaking again. "Now, I'm your fraccion." He managed to say it without puking and felt rather proud of himself. "So I'll be staying next door, where Nnoitra's old fraccion used to stay." Nnoitra had only had one fraccion, Tesra, and he was dead too. After his master had died he'd sworn vengeance and gone out to find the hollow that killed him. And he had. Oh, he had. "You got any questions?" If he did, Grimmjow wished he could tell Ichigo where to stuff them. But he was the kid's fraccion now. Ichigo could punish him and there wasn't a damned thing he could do to defend himself.

"What happened to your arm?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow froze for a moment, looking into his face. There was a childlike directness in that question, but it still pissed him off. He had to struggle a moment not to snap at the kid.

"It got cut off as a punishment for disobeying orders." He finally said, grating out the words. Then he blinked as Ichigo touched his hand.

"Sorry." The arrancar said simply and Grimmjow stared at him. Compassion was in short supply in Hueco Mundo. "Could you get me some food? I'm hungry."

"Sure." That was a pretty normal request. "I'll have to make it." He cautioned the boy, who just nodded. "I'm a shitty cook." He decided he'd better spell it out so Ichigo wouldn't get his hopes up. "And the crap Aizen gives us ain't much good either." The condensed spiritual energy he fed to his minions had the flavor and consistency of tofu. Ichigo frowned at him and Grimmjow had to resist the urge to flinch as his eyes sparkled with red.

"Just get me something before I eat someone." Ichigo said impatiently and Grimmjow high-tailed it out of the room. The only person close at hand was him, and Ichigo had eaten Nnoitra. He'd have no trouble devouring a maimed former Espada. It took him a little while to get the food together and he was sweating by the time he got back to the room. Grimmjow cursed himself for the scent of his own fear, but he couldn't help it. Fortunately, Ichigo was waiting patiently, his eyes fixed on the window and his expression remote. He smiled as he saw the food and dug in readily, then paused.

"You really are a terrible cook." He said, but there was amusement in his voice. Grimmjow felt the fear turn into irritation.

"I'm a warrior, not a damned domestic." He snapped, meeting those reddish brown eyes directly. Ichigo smiled, eating another spoonful of the food.

"If you say so." Grimmjow grit his teeth at the amusement in Ichigo's voice. He longed to take the fledgling Espada outside and beat his face in, and the fact that it would probably be his face getting beat only made his mood worse. "It's not badly made, actually, it's just bland. Do you have any spices?"

"I don't know how to use that shit. Last time I tried, Luppi asked if I was trying to kill him." Grimmjow said grumpily. He wished he had been trying to kill the little bastard, but it had just been too much chilli pepper.

"Remind me and I'll show you what spices go together sometime." Ichigo said easily and Grimmjow suppressed a snarl. "I can't remember when I learned, but I think I know how to cook."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you do the cooking then?" Grimmjow snapped and immediately regretted it as Ichigo's eyes glittered with red. He could feel the slap of the teen's irritation and had to fight not to cringe as that overpowering reiatsu filled the air. Ulquiorra was right, the little prick was going to be the new zero Espada. Then the moment passed as Ichigo smiled faintly, playing with his spoon.

"I seem to be lacking a kitchen." He said lightly and Grimmjow glanced around before cursing himself as an idiot. Of course Ichigo's quarters didn't have a kitchen, they'd belonged to Nnoitra. Nnoitra cooking? What a joke.

"There's an adjoining door between your quarters and mine." Grimmjow said reluctantly. When he'd been the sexta Espada that had been useful to give him quick access to his fraccion. As one of Luppi's fraccion, he'd found it was a pain in the ass for the exact same reason. "Try not to violate my privacy too much." He growled and Ichigo laughed.

"I'll knock, how's that?" Ichigo finished his food, pushing away the bowl. "But cooking lessons can wait. I'm feeling better, show me around this place." Grimmjow sighed to himself as he settled into the role of reluctant tour guide.

Although it was kind of funny, really. The Numeros treated them both with fearful deference, which was rather nice. No one disrespected Luppi but no one was scared of him, either, not like they were scared of Ichigo. Ichigo seemed to find the terror amusing. Before long, though, Grimmjow found himself introducing the new arrancar to all the other Espada. From the looks of it, he was going to get along well with Starrk and Lilynette. The rest were still up in the air, but Grimmjow had a feeling that Ichigo was not going to be Yammy's favourite person. The current zero Espada was already sizing up the newcomer.

"Ichigo." Ulquiorra again. Grimmjow stood to the side, completely ignored by the two Espada. "You will be tested to determine your strength tomorrow. Grimmjow, make certain he arrives outside the main citadel at eight AM tomorrow." Grimmjow nodded, tucking his remaining hand into the pocket of his hakama.

"A fight?" Ichigo sounded delighted at the prospect and Grimmjow found he wasn't at all surprised. Even as a human, the kid had liked fighting. As an arrancar, he would adore it. "Who will I be fighting against?"

"Yammy, the current zero Espada in his released form." Ulquiorra said and Ichigo nodded, the red flecks in his eyes sparkling and swirling with his bloodlust.

"I can't wait." Ichigo smiled dreamily. "It will be a challenge." Grimmjow glanced at him, a little surprised. Yammy didn't seem all that powerful unless you knew what was behind his sealed form. But maybe Ichigo had been able to sense it. Ulquiorra said nothing and walked away. "Grimmjow? What do we do here for fun?"

"Oh, all kinds of things." Grimmjow said with a small shrug. "We practice, we play games, some people sleep, some people fuck, all kinds of things." Ichigo gave him a speculative look and Grimmjow glared back, regretting the last one on his list. He'd never had to endure it, since Luppi was most emphatically not into him, but he knew some Espada demanded sexual favors from their fraccion. If that was what Ichigo wanted, he'd have to beat the shit out of him to get it, because Grimmjow was not submitting tamely.

"What sort of games?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow blinked, wondering if he'd completely misread that glance. Maybe it was his own filthy mind and worry about being a fraccion at work. Shaking himself back to reality, he gave Ichigo a quick rundown of the various games going on. There was a bridge tournament, with actual rules and a rotation, but Ichigo wasn't the least bit interested in that. "Chess? I like chess. Do you play it, Grimmjow?"

"Fuck no. I play poker." He said immediately and Ichigo looked interested.

"That could be fun. I've never played it before, can you show me the rules?" Ichigo asked innocently and Grimmjow nodded shortly.

"If we can find anyone else to play." It didn't take long to corral Starrk and Lilynette into playing, although Lily was dubious at best. Pretty soon Grimmjow realized he'd been hoodwinked. "Never played before, my ass!" He snarled at Ichigo, who had the high stack and a shit eating grin.

"Well, I thought I hadn't. Maybe I was wrong." Ichigo and Starrk both laid down their cards. "Darn." Ichigo forked over a good bit of his stack as Grimmjow glared at his own stack. He was below Lilynette, who was laughing at him. Starrk yawned widely as Ichigo glanced out a window. "It's getting late. Should we call the game?" The game could go on forever if they didn't. Starrk nodded, pushing the chips away. They weren't playing for real money, since they didn't have any, just for fun.

"Thought you'd never ask. And you need to be well rested for tomorrow; Yammy is not going to go easy on you." Starrk warned and Ichigo shrugged.

"I won't go easy on him, either. See you guys later!" Ichigo started putting away the chips and Grimmjow watched for a moment before reluctantly helping. Really, Ichigo should have ordered him to do it. Luppi wouldn't have hesitated a moment. Starrk yawned again before leaving with Lilynette for their rooms. Ichigo settled into his room, and Grimmjow went to bed, cursing the fate that had made him the kid's fraccion.

It seemed like it might be a bit better than Luppi, but that didn't make up for the humiliation.

* * *

"For fuck's sake, what is he doing?" Grimmjow watched in disbelief as Ichigo literally ran rings around a frustrated and outraged Yammy. "Is that his released form?" He hadn't saw Ichigo take it, since Yammy had just thrown up a huge cloud of dust, but what else could it be? Ichigo looked like that monster hollow again, except that he had no mask on his face, just the two horns. His skin was dead white, though, and his eyes were black and red. He moved like a dangerous dream and Grimmjow was stunned as he realized the little bastard was playing!

Yammy was in his released form too, and becoming steadily angrier with the pesky mite that was constantly hurting him and refusing to be stomped out. His anger was increasing his power, of course, but Ichigo didn't seem to care. His unique combination of hollow and shinigami power hadn't wavered a bit since the battle had begun, in fact it had increased considerably.

Finally Yammy landed a good blow, pounding Ichigo into the sand… or so it seemed. There was a pause and Grimmjow's eyes widened as he saw Ichigo holding back Yammy's fist with his two hands. A cero began building between the horns and Yammy yanked his hand away, taking Ichigo with it. The new arrancar laughed wickedly as Yammy tried frantically to get him off before he could release the cero. But Ichigo kept evading his grip.

"Enough." Ulquiorra suddenly sonido'd behind Ichigo, gripping his shoulder. The younger Espada aborted his cero, letting go of Yammy's hand and dropping to the ground. "I have evaluated your power, and Aizen agrees. You are the new zero Espada. Yammy, you will be moved to one." Yammy muttered a few swear words but didn't protest it. "Ichigo, go to Aizen to receive your marking." Ichigo nodded and Grimmjow hesitated before following. He wanted to see where Aizen would put the mark.

It was one of the more interesting markings he'd seen. Aizen had Ichigo kneel in front of him, and moved all that sleek orange hair out of the way so he could put the zero mark on the back of the young arrancar's neck. As Ichigo stood, Aizen looked him over for a moment.

"See about getting some tailored uniforms. That one does not quite fit." He said and Ichigo nodded obediently. "Grimmjow will show you where to go."

"Yes Aizen-sama." Ichigo said and Grimmjow resisted the urge to curl his lip. It wasn't all the shock then, Ichigo was being… polite. He found it almost disgusting. If he'd had that level of power, he wouldn't have been so damned polite. Ichigo walked away with a bounce in his step and Grimmjow was a bit taken aback by his broad smile. "Grimmjow! Show me where I go for tailoring, I want to get that over with so I can practice some more."

"Yeah, sure." Grimmjow muttered, feeling bitter. The kid was so powerful it was outrageous, and he was just a broken ex-Espada. It pissed him off, and he'd be seeing goddamn Kurosaki every day. Talk about rubbing it in his face. Ichigo glanced at him.

"Something the matter?" He asked but Grimmjow shook his head. "Hm." Ichigo shrugged and Grimmjow was just glad he wasn't pressing the matter. He didn't want to explain his thoughts to the kid. It was Aizen's fault anyway, although he'd still like to punch Ichigo's lights out. "I'm going to ask for a uniform like yours." Ichigo suddenly said and Grimmjow almost stumbled.

"Eh what? Why?" He was a bit surprised. He hadn't pegged Kurosaki for the show his chest type. Ichigo flashed him a quick grin.

"So we can be a matching set! Red and blue." Ichigo's voice had an almost purring note and Grimmjow's eyes narrowed. Was the kid hitting on him? What the fuck was up with that?

"Whatever. Let's just get this done with so you can train." He growled and ignored it as Ichigo eyed him with amusement. The last thing he wanted was the brat hitting on him. Not because he wasn't attractive, but because as a fraccion, Grimmjow couldn't really say no.

And that was an intolerable blow to his pride.

* * *

"Grimmjow, I need you." Grimmjow groaned as he glanced out the window. It was very early in the morning, but Ichigo was a damned early riser. He hated people like that. "Grimmjow!"

"Coming, coming." He muttered as he climbed out of bed. He was a little surprised by the summons. He'd been with Ichigo almost three days, and so far Ichigo had just slipped into his room, made himself breakfast and let his fraccion sleep in. It was pretty considerate, actually, not that Grimmjow would give him any credit for it. "What the hell is it?" One plus side to all this was that Ichigo didn't seem to give a crap about his swearing. Luppi had been trying to reform him, without any luck.

"I know it's stupid, but I need help." Ichigo sounded very frustrated and he was sitting in front of a mirror holding a huge brush. "I can't get the knots out of my hair." Grimmjow clenched his jaw to hold back a torrent of abuse. Brush his _hair?_ For fuck's sake! "I have a comb and a brush, can you please help?"

"Yeah, fine." Grimmjow picked up the combo and began to roughly run it through Ichigo's hair. Almost immediately, he hit a nest of tangles.

"Ow, careful!" Ichigo squirmed, grimacing. "My hierro doesn't seem to do anything for my hair." He said plaintively and Grimmjow rolled his eyes, but started being more careful. Ichigo worked with the brush on the other side.

"How'd it get this bad?" Grimmjow was a bit astonished by how many burrs and snarls there were in that long orange hair. It looked fine from a distance, but up close it was a complete rat's nest. Ichigo grimaced.

"It's so damn thick, it seems to snarl up on anything. The problem started after my fight with Yammy, I just couldn't seem to get all the tangles out." Ichigo looked at himself in the mirror. "Maybe I should just cut it all off." He said but strangely, Grimmjow found he wasn't enthusiastic about the idea. The hair felt really nice, under his fingers, and it sure did look dramatic.

"Why not try braiding it?" He suggested, capturing Ichigo's attention. "A big braid would keep it from snarling like this." It would be a lot less effort for them both, too.

"That's a great idea! …Can you show me how?" Ichigo asked and Grimmjow sighed to himself before nodding. "Great. But this is going to take a while." Grimmjow grit his teeth again. He was sure Ichigo was right about that, and spending his morning untangling someone else's hair was one of his new least favourite things. It took about a half-hour, but they finally got the mess of orange hair tamed. Then he began to braid it. "Ow, careful!" Ichigo squirmed a little as he pulled too hard and Grimmjow slowed down, making sure the kid knew how to do it for himself. When he reached the end, he tied off the tip with a little leather cord. "That does look better, doesn't it?" Ichigo looked at himself in the mirror and Grimmjow stood back, studying him.

"Looks good." He allowed, although it was an understatement. The braid did wonders for Ichigo, accenting his strong face in just the right way. He didn't look remotely like a girl, he looked like a young warrior ready and eager to kill. The braid added just the right barbaric touch. Obeying an impulse, he dropped the braid over Ichigo's shoulder, letting the zero marking show. "Now ya look scary." The combination of the braid, Ichigo's looks and the zero marking would make most Numeros quiver in terror.

"Thanks." Ichigo said gratefully before standing, letting the braid stay on his shoulder. "Why don't I make us both breakfast while you go back to sleep?" He offered and Grimmjow blinked. That was unusual, to say the least, but he wasn't about to refuse.

"Yeah, sure." He quickly went back to his bed, and ignored the faint sounds as Ichigo puttered around in his kitchen. He hadn't tried Ichigo's breakfasts before, just grabbed a bit of cold tofu stuff and ate it without tasting it before joining his Espada. This could be interesting.

It was interesting. Grimmjow was a bit stunned at how adding a crapload of spices, as well as eggs and bacon, made the tofu like soul putty taste pretty damn good.

"See? Spices. This has, mm, paprika, fresh garlic, a bit of turmeric, salt and pepper. Also some cinnamon because I like cinnamon, but that part doesn't make sense." Ichigo explained cheerfully as he ate. "Garlic is my favorite, everything is better with garlic. Except dessert." He cautioned and Grimmjow sniggered.

"Yeah, I coulda figured that one out myself." They ate in silence for a while before Grimmjow asked. "So what are we doing today?" Ichigo hadn't had any missions yet, probably because Aizen was letting him settle in a bit. Ichigo looked up at him with a grin.

"We're going to spar!" He said happily and Grimmjow just looked at him blankly. Was the kid insane? "Szayel has made me something interesting, first we need to go pick it up."

"Woah, wait, Szayel? You do know he's fucking insane, right?" Grimmjow said quickly, feeling his insides clench. Szayel was twisted and brilliant. Ichigo just nodded.

"He's also kind of fun. I think I like him." Ichigo said, licking off his spoon, and Grimmjow had to suppress the urge to throw his spoon at the Espada's head. The kid was crazy. Like Szayel? Would he have liked Nnoitra too, if he hadn't eaten him? "He wanted to 'examine' me." Grimmjow froze at that.

"You didn't let him, did you?" He asked and Ichigo shrugged.

"I had to let him a bit, for him to make me something. But I didn't let him do a, um, full body examination. I told him he has to buy me dinner first." Ichigo added with a grin and Grimmjow tried to figure that out for a moment before giving up. Was this some kind of weird carryover from his shinigami days? Was it customary for mad scientists to buy their test subjects dinner? He couldn't imagine the point. "Come on, we need to go down to his lab."

"You're fucking insane." Grimmjow muttered but didn't resist as the nutty new arrancar dragged him out of the room by his empty sleeve. He stayed behind Ichigo as he entered Szayel's lair. If he was relegated to a fraccion, he might as well get the most out of it and let his Espada take the heat.

"Ah, it's you again." Szayel said with a very pleasant smile. Grimmjow stayed silent as Ichigo returned the smile, then had to hold back puke as Szayel stepped up and ran a hand down Ichigo's back, pausing a moment to stroke the zero. He was fucking flirting! What did a full body examination involve, anyway? "I have what you needed. Quite an unusual challenge! Now, where's my payment?" He asked and Ichigo smiled dreamily before giving the scientist a full, intimate kiss. Grimmjow's mouth fell open as he watched the display. He'd never imagined Kurosaki could be so… so wanton. Was this from his change to a hollow or was he really into the scientific type? Szayel let go of the zero Espada and handed over a strange jacket that had only one arm. "There you are. It might be a bit difficult to put on, but your fraccion should be able to help." Grimmjow bristled as the bastard gave him a shit eating grin. He wanted to kick Szayel's ass so bad right now!

"Thank you so much." Ichigo stepped back and walked towards the door, Grimmjow following like a pissed off shadow. But the zero Espada paused before he left. "Oh, Szayel?" He waited until the scientist looked at him to give him the evillest grin Grimmjow had ever seen. "Thanks for the parasites you gave me with that kiss. I've already eaten them, they were a pretty good meal. You'll have to think of something better than that, though." Szayel's golden eyes went wide as Ichigo left the lab and Grimmjow heard him quickly typing at his computer, then a very loud curse. Ichigo laughed wickedly, his hair bouncing behind him as he walked towards the practice ground.

"Shit." Grimmjow muttered to himself as he watched the braid in front of him. Had Ichigo really gotten the drop on Szayel? It sounded like he had. When had the kid gotten so smart? He couldn't… well, actually, he hadn't known Ichigo that well, come to think of it. He'd been pretty clever in combat so maybe he was smart too. "So what is this thing you've got there?" It looked weird as hell. Ichigo glanced back as they stepped out into the hot sands.

"It's a jacket. Help me put it on." He said. Mystified, Grimmjow started helping. There were buckles inside and he blinked as he realized the thing was designed to hold one of Ichigo's arms immobilized, tucked up behind his back. It also lowered his power level considerably. Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, testing it. "Not too uncomfortable. Okay, now we're on equal footing. Ready to rumble?" Grimmjow grit his teeth as he realized what Ichigo had done. He was deliberately handicapping himself so he could fight his fraccion on even footing.

"You condescending bastard! You think I need your pity, dipshit?" He snarled and then stopped as Ichigo laughed and levelled his sword at him. It was a wild, carefree laugh that spoke of mayhem.

"Pity? You don't understand me at all if you think I pity you, Grimmjow. I remember you." Ichigo's brown red eyes had a feral quality and Grimmjow felt a shiver down his spine as he met that calm, aggressive gaze. "I remember the grin on your face when you beat the shit out of me. That's all I have of you, but I remember that grin and I want to see it again. But you wouldn't grin if I just started kicking the shit out of you, now would you? So fight me like this and show me the fire that made you the Sexta Espada!" Ichigo launched himself through the air, sword leading the way, and Grimmjow had to block him. After a moment of fear at the still immense power of the other arrancar, he felt the joy rising back up. The pleasure that combat had always given him.

"That's what you want, eh?" Blue eyes met cinnamon and held. "Fine! I'll kick your ass, Kurosaki!" He grinned as their swords clashed again and again and Ichigo took on a familiar, intense look. That was the kid he knew and hated!

This could actually be really fun.


	2. The Power of the Kiss

A few days later.

Grimmjow stood in the shower, letting the water pulse over him and clean out the gashes and bruises on his skin.

He had to admit that he felt wonderful after this morning's sparring round. Kurosaki hadn't held back, except for his initial handicap, and it had felt good to be fighting again. The fact that it had been against his Espada, and he'd given as good as he got, just made it sweeter. Grimmjow smirked to himself as he remembered the scratches he'd given Ichigo, finally getting past his hierro enough to hurt him. Not that the zero Espada had seemed to notice the pain, but it was still satisfying to see.

Grimmjow was out of the shower and drying himself off when the door clicked open. He looked up, surprised and pissed as hell when he saw wet orange hair, amused brown red eyes and a hell of a lot of naked skin.

"Grimmjow, I wondered what you would look like naked." Ichigo padded into the bathroom, looking him up and down with an appreciatively. It made a chill go down Grimmjow's spine. "It's just as nice as I'd imagined."

"Get away from me, you fucking freak." He spat as he tried to get past Ichigo. But the zero Espada grabbed his wrist and pinned him to the wall. Grimmjow hissed as Ichigo's other hand dug into the back of his neck, holding him in place as easily as a kitten.

Ichigo's lips and teeth began to assault his throat and Grimmjow's rage exploded. He was not some fucking sex object, some fucking pet! He began to summon a cero into his remaining hand.

And stopped in absolute shock as Ichigo turned his head and with an odd, breathing in motion, devoured the cero whole.

_Fuck._ Grimmjow thought as he stared into lazy, amused brown red eyes. _He can eat anything? That's his power? Fuck!_ Rage turned to fear and he struggled in earnest, ignoring the tight fingers that were raising little lines of blood on his throat. Ichigo hissed, annoyed, and spoke as he tightened his grip.

"What, you don't want me? I saw how you looked during practice." He said and Grimmjow snarled at the humiliating reminder. "You were getting hard when we fought, I could smell it."

"That doesn't mean I'm going to let you fuck me, you asshole!" Grimmjow snarled and stopped struggling as Ichigo suddenly laughed.

"What if I want you to fuck me?" Abruptly, their positions were reversed. Ichigo's hand was still behind his head, but he jerked the former Espada around in one swift move and then the zero Espada bared his throat. Instincts roared and Grimmjow took the invitation without thought, his teeth biting down hard on hierro enhanced skin. "Oh yes, like that." Ichigo's voice was heavy with desire and Grimmjow's mind couldn't believe the Espada was submitting this way. His instincts caught on a lot faster, though, and his mind managed to eventually follow.

_He's Vasto Lorde. He's submitting to carry his own cubs._ That was what instinct was telling him and Grimmjow couldn't begin to resist the offer. For hollows, mating had a lot to do with strength. If a stronger hollow seeded a much weaker one, the odds were good the cubs and the mate would both die, unable to sustain themselves against the greater power. Vasto Lorde were fucking rare, so if one of them felt the need for cubs they almost had to submit to a weaker power. And for an Adjuchas like Grimmjow, that was practically the holy grail of mating. Strong cubs that would definitely survive with a mate like that to watch over them…

The fact that they were arrancar and probably couldn't reproduce, even if Aizen hadn't put up a field to ensure it, didn't matter. Grimmjow growled, irritated that he couldn't fuck Ichigo upright. But with only one arm, he couldn't hold the zero Espada up the way he wanted to. Instead, he dragged the redhead down to the floor, ignoring the cold tiles as he roughly prepared the soft body under him. He probably could have gone without, Ichigo was acting like a bitch in heat, but instinct told him he needed to make this good. If he pleased the Vasto Lorde, there might be more than one mating.

There was a sharp yelp from the body under him as he inserted himself, and Grimmjow took his time, licking and nibbling the throat and collarbone of the Espada in apology for the pain. Then Ichigo relaxed and groaned, gripping blue hair and pulling him in for a kiss. Grimmjow took that as permission and began to move, slowly at first but then gaining speed. Ichigo was panting now, and Grimmjow looked into brown eyes that were glazed with pleasure and mating instinct.

"Grimmjow. Grimmjow!" He'd never heard his name said like that before, full of such heat and promise. It completely undid his control, and he bit the Espada's shoulder, hard, as fingernails bit into his back. There was nothing hotter than this, dominating such a powerful beast with nothing but his body and lust. He sank into that heat and warmth, thrusting into the soft body beneath him. Ichigo's insides gripped him like a second skin, taking him to a heavenly place.

"Ichigo." He growled into the zero Espada's ear, putting all his heat and instinct into the sound. He felt the Espada shiver in pleasure and growled in pleasure as Ichigo tilted his head to one side, baring his throat for more attention. Attention that he was not at all loathe to give, savaging the hard skin as he claimed the body beneath him with all the savagery in his soul. "Fuck!" He cursed as he felt his orgasm starting to come on, struggling to hold it back as he pounded into the zero Espada. He wanted Ichigo to come first, and not for the first time, he cursed having only one arm. But Ichigo had reached between them and was stroking his own erection, keening softly in pleasure as Grimmjow found his prostate again and again.

"Yes. Oh, yes! Yes!" Ichigo cried out as he reached completion, muscles rippling with the force of his orgasm. Grimmjow cursed as velvety walls tried to crush him, tightening almost painfully around his leaking member. There was nothing he could do to hold back, and he spent himself in a long, exultant rush of pleasure. Then they lay together, breathing hard and basking in the afterglow. Grimmjow met Ichigo's sated gaze and gathered the tattered remnants of his pride.

"You're mine now, Kurosaki." He growled, rubbing his cheek against the powerful arrancar. "_Mine._" Grimmjow wanted, no, needed to stake his claim. It might be futile, he couldn't make the zero Espada do anything, but he was damned well going to try.

"I am my own. But I'll give myself to you." Ichigo murmured with a pleased smile and Grimmjow growled before nipping his throat again. "Mmm." The Espada closed his eyes for a moment then opened them with a sigh. "We might want to have a shower. We're both dirty again."

"Yeah, sure." Grimmjow slowly pulled away, just looking at his mate for a moment. Ichigo was beautiful, his skin covered in a light layer of sweat and cum. It made him want to lick the zero Espada off. Perhaps he would do that in the shower. He smiled as Ichigo turned on the water and they both stepped back into the spray.

Being a fraccion was turning out to have some very interesting perks.

* * *

Grimmjow swore to himself as he searched for the zero Espada.

Aizen had called for the brat using the hogyoku, and to his irritation, Ichigo hadn't responded at all. To his further irritation, he couldn't seem to find the Espada using his godlike powers, either. What that meant was anyone's guess, but right now it meant that finding the brat was Grimmjow's job. Aizen had been less than amused to find out Ichigo's fraccion had no idea where the hell he'd gotten to.

So far he'd checked Starrk, Ulquiorra and Haribel's wings in an effort to find the kid. Then he'd checked Barragan, since the bastard knew how to play chess and maybe Ichigo had looked him up for a game. But he'd come up empty there, too. So now he was onto Szayel, although going into his wing was just creepy as fuck. There were way, way too many booby traps. Of course, that was where he hit pay dirt. Grimmjow paused in the entrance to Szayel's main lab, looking at the scene inside with disbelief.

Ichigo was wearing goggles to protect his eyes, his hands outstretched and holding a globe of black and red force between them. The orb was swirling and radiating an immense reiatsu that made Grimmjow want to run right back out. Szayel was wearing similar goggles and studying the readings on one of his machines. There were more machines surrounding Ichigo, and Grimmjow realized that they were directing the reiatsu the Espada was pumping out. He wasn't creating the globe, just fueling it for Szayel's machines.

"Excellent, excellent. I'm going to begin the contraction." Ichigo nodded, standing absolutely still as Szayel manipulated his machines. Grimmjow held his breath as the orb became smaller and smaller, but no less powerful. He wasn't the brightest, maybe, but he still had a feeling this would be a very bad time to interrupt Ichigo's concentration. "There!" The globe suddenly turned into a pill or something, and fell onto the floor. Ichigo knelt to pick it up, bouncing the little ball in his hand. "Careful, careful!" Szayel rescued his new toy from the zero Espada, who shrugged with a smile. "It could be quite volatile."

"Yeah, like Aizen's temper." They both turned, surprised, as Grimmjow spoke. "Ichigo, he's been calling you with his power for a fucking hour! Get your ass down to the throne room, like now!" Ichigo's eyes widened and he sonido'd out so fast, Grimmjow had a tough time keeping up. But he managed it and within minutes, they were standing in front of a less than amused Aizen.

"Ichigo. At last." Aizen said as the zero Espada gave him a deep bow. "May I ask what kept you from responding to my call?"

"I'm sorry, Aizen-sama. I didn't hear you." Ichigo responded, more than a little shamefaced. "I was helping Szayel make an explosive and all the reiatsu I had to channel must have muffled my senses. Please forgive me." An explosive? Grimmjow felt a chill as he remember how Ichigo had handled the thing, and had to resist an impulse to slap the brat upside his head. He was feeling that way a lot, these days. Aizen regarded his Espada thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.

"I will be interested to see the result." That made Grimmjow feel a bit of relief. Aizen wasn't too mad anymore. "Now, I have a mission for all of you. You will be fetching a woman for me." Ichigo made a choking sound and Grimmjow poked him sharply as Aizen looked over. "Did that amuse you, Ichigo?"

"Yes, Aizen-sama. You want us to act as an escort service?" There was merriment in the Espada's tone and Grimmjow suddenly felt a great admiration for the kid. Even when he was the sixth Espada, he wasn't sure he'd have lipped off like that! Aizen wasn't smiling though.

"Silence." The power of the hogyoku was behind that command and even Ichigo winced as it hit him. Everyone else did more than wince. The zero Espada fell completely silent as Aizen looked at him, glowing with the force he'd summoned. "Her name is Orihime Inoue, and she possesses a unique power. Ulquiorra will be the one to apprehend her, while you create a distraction to draw away the attention of Soul Society."

"That sounds like fun, Aizen-sama." Hogyoku or not, Ichigo was irrepressible. "When will we begin?" Aizen permitted himself a small smile at the zero Espada's eagerness. Yammy also looked eager but Grimmjow noticed that Luppi seemed to feel a bit differently.

"Now. Go, have fun." Ichigo's laughter filled the air as the zero Espada blew out of the throne room. Grimmjow cursed again, but took some pleasure in the fact that Yammy and Luppi had trouble keeping up too. Ichigo stopped dead outside and Grimmjow nearly ran into him. "I'll make the garganta!" Ichigo spread his hands and concentrated a moment, ripping a hole in the fabric of reality. Then they all stepped through, taking the short path to the Living World. It didn't occur to them to wonder if Ichigo had ever done this before. "Ooops." The zero Espada muttered as he looked down.

"What the hell?" Yammy looked down at the ground, or rather, water. They were standing over the sea. In the distance there was an island. Grimmjow squinted for a moment and made out palm trees and pretty white sand. "Where are we?"

"Looks like paradise, but it sure as hell ain't Karakura town." Grimmjow observed as Ichigo began to float towards the palm trees. He grabbed the kid by the collar. "Focus, brat! You're acting like Wonderweiss. We don't have time for this." Ulquiorra had taken his own garganta so they really needed to get where they were supposed to be. Luppi heaved an annoyed sigh.

"I will make a garganta." They all waited as he opened one, and Grimmjow glanced at Ichigo, noticing he was actually looking embarrassed. When they stepped through, the surroundings were a lot more familiar. "I do want to know what you were thinking about to make a garganta to that place. I've rarely seen something that random." Luppi commented and Ichigo shrugged.

"I was thinking about the coconut song. I've got a lovely batch of coconuts… here they are, standing in a row… big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! Give them a twist, a flick of the wrist, is what the showman said." Ichigo paused then grinned. "Except the song isn't really about coconuts."

"What's it about them?" Yammy asked and Grimmjow was never more thankful for a shinigami attack than the one they received at that moment. He had a damned good idea of what the nut song was really about, and didn't want to hear it.

"Ichigo, you and Grimmjow go take that one. Yammy and I will handle these." Luppi ordered and Grimmjow bristled briefly at the presumption that he was in charge. Technically, Ichigo should be running this show. But the zero Espada was a bit of a fruitcake. He proved it again with his next order, in Grimmjow's opinion anyway.

"Grimm, you stay and help them. I have this." Ichigo said as he flew away towards a rather bright reiatsu spark. Grimmjow grimaced as he looked at the shinigami heading their way. He recognized the freak with the white hair. He'd let Luppi handle that.

The bastard deserved it for taking his place.

* * *

Not so very far away.

Ichigo paused in midair, regarding the man with the blond hair and the cute hat. Something about that hat stirred memories and he blinked as he suddenly had a snapshot of memory. That was how things usually came to him, blinding moments of revelation surrounded by absolute darkness. This snapshot was of the man he was facing running towards him, sword at the ready. And that was all he had. There wasn't even a name attached.

"Oh, Ichigo." The man across from him seemed very sad. "You look so much the same, and yet so different. Do you remember me?"

"I don't remember your name." Ichigo said frankly. "But I remember we fought before. Are we going to fight again?" If so, he was itching to get started. He let a wicked grin cross his face. "I think you were good at it." He idly flipped his sword, enjoying the weight of the black metal in his hand.

"My name is Kisuke Urahara. Now, don't disappoint me Ichigo!" Their swords clashed and Ichigo laughed as he felt the intent to kill in the man facing him. Then he frowned as he realized he could not completely respond in kind. There was a curious reluctance to kill in his heart. Shrugging aside the feeling, he launched his attack with verve and élan. He might not be able to quite muster up the killing urge, but he could still have fun!

And have fun he did. His opponent was skillful, deadly and full of all kinds of interesting tricks. Although the dummy gigai only fooled Ichigo for a moment.

"HAH! I smell you!" He yelled before he fired a mini-cero in a completely different direction. Kisuke had to dodge, his eyes rather wide at the unexpected abilities of the zero Espada. "Nice aftershave, by the way. Put some of it on your gigai next time!"

"Thanks for the tip, Ichigo!" Kisuke grinned as he readied his attack again, but Ichigo was distracted by a feeling of distress and glanced over at the battle between the other three arrancar and the shinigami. Something wasn't going well, he could feel it in his bones.

"Actually, could we cut this short? I think my buddies are getting reamed." He said conversationally as he blocked another strike from the shinigami. Kisuke smiled at him, bemused, as their swords clashed.

"And why should I do that?" He asked and Ichigo thought for a moment. What kind of bribe would this man like? Then he grinned as something came up in his mind. Too nebulous to be a memory, it was more of an instinctive feeling.

"I'll give you a kiss." He purred and had the satisfaction of seeing his opponent almost nosebleed. "Have you ever wondered if I taste like strawberries?" he said in his best seductive tone. Kisuke had lowered his sword and was staring at him, amazed and intrigued.

"This is a new side of you, Kurosaki." Ichigo blinked at that name for himself. He'd forgotten his last name. "Well, how can I say no to an offer like that? We can cut this battle short if you give me a kiss." Ichigo smiled and sheathed his sword, waiting for Kisuke to do the same. Then he closed with the other man and gave him the promised kiss.

It was a really good kiss. Ichigo let himself melt into the other man's arms, opening his mouth and taking him in. Their tongues met in an intimate ballet, and Ichigo wondered where this passion for a stranger was coming from. He liked sex, he liked it a lot, but he usually at least knew the person he was kissing. But then another feeling came to him and he wondered if it could be true.

"Urahara." Ichigo breathed his name as the kiss ended, looking into grey eyes. "Were we lovers, before I died?" He didn't think that was true, but it was a good place to start. The shinigami looked like he'd been hit with a board.

"No… no, you were a child, only sixteen when you died." Urahara sounded a little breathy with emotion and Ichigo smiled at him, still holding him close.

"We could have been, I think, if I hadn't died." He murmured and saw a suspicious wetness in the other man's eyes. "It's really too bad. But I have to go, my friends need me, I can tell." He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did. Luppi was in some kind of trouble. The sixth Espada wasn't really a friend, but he was a comrade and Ichigo would try to protect him. Urahara sighed as the zero Espada let him go and flitted away, towards the distant battlefield.

"You should have phrased that a bit better, Ichigo." He commented to himself as he followed the arrancar. Ichigo had asked to stop their battle. He hadn't asked that Kisuke quit the battlefield, and he didn't intend to. He followed the zero Espada, keeping a respectable distance.

To Ichigo's surprise, when he got there Luppi was holding three shinigami captive and the white haired taichou was gone. Yammy and Grimmjow were both sitting on the sidelines with their thumbs up their asses, from what he could see.

"Where's the taichou?" He asked Yammy, who grunted.

"Luppi already killed him. No challenge at all." Ichigo greeted that with extreme skepticism. If the taichou had gone down that easily, he'd eat his own jacket. "Did you get yours?"

"Huh? Oh. No, not exactly. We sort of – eh?" A flash of red light passed by and slashed the tentacle of the woman Luppi had been tormenting. "Hey! I thought we agreed you would stay out of it!" He said angrily as the shinigami in the funny hat reappeared.

"No, no. We only agreed that I would end my fight with you, not that I wouldn't start a new one." The shinigami said calmly as Ichigo sulked.

"You bastard! You stole my first kiss for that?" He said and Yammy burst into laughter as Grimmjow gave them both a disbelieving look.

"First kiss? Hahaha, yeah, RIGHT! You've blown off half the fortress – awk!" Ichigo's hands weren't big enough to fit around Yammy's throat easily, but he still gave it a good shot as he pinned the tenth Espada.

"Two people is not half the fortress!" He yelled and then blinked as a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hey. I know I'm number one. Who the hell is the other person you've blown?" Grimmjow's eyes were half-closed and he looked quietly pissed off. Ichigo ran a hand through his hair, almost forgetting the shinigami who was watching them in quiet fascination.

"Well. Gin kind of made me an offer I couldn't refuse." The zero Espada admitted and winced as Grimmjow snarled out a dire threat. "Oh, come on, I slept with him before you!"

"What! You slept with me on your third day! Did he make you blow him off right after Aizen cracked your mask? What the fuck, Ichigo? What kind of a whore are you?" Grimmjow yelled, his temper flaring. Those were fighting words and Ichigo's temper flared right back.

"Hey! Who is the zero Espada around here? I don't belong to you!" He shouted and Yammy made the mistake of butting in.

"I should be the zero – " That was as far as he got before a fist and foot connected with his face. The huge Espada made a few small choking sounds before spiraling out of the air in a dead faint. Then Ichigo and Grimmjow went back to the serious business of yelling at each other. Hitsugaya reappeared next to Urahara and was considering attacking, when the other shinigami rested a hand on his shoulder.

"No, I'm really curious to see where this is going. And Matsumoto needs your help." Hitsugaya turned to see his lieutenant about to become a pincushion and flew away to take care of the problem. Urahara just watched as Grimmjow and Ichigo began to wrestle. The one armed fraccion was at a serious disadvantage, but he was trying anyway.

Then there was a loud sound, like a frozen log breaking, and the two fighting arrancar both looked over to see Luppi become encased in a tremendous block of ice.

"Ooops." Ichigo muttered to himself. He'd _known_ Luppi was going to get reamed. He'd let himself get distracted and it had cost the other arrancar. On the other hand, Luppi must have dismissed Yammy and Grimmjow, so it served him right. "And it's not like I really liked him." He shrugged slightly before setting off toward the ice block. He'd try to break it and see if Luppi was alive in there. And if he wasn't, well… the sixth Espada would be an excellent meal. Grimmjow followed close behind, unwilling to end their conflict.

"What exactly did Gin say to you to get you to blow him off?" Ichigo tried to ignore the question as he gathered his power. Then he stopped as a golden light surrounded them. "I want an answer, you asshole!"

"He told me… look, I was dazed and gullible, okay?!" Ichigo snapped, completely flustered. "He told me I could feed on his reiatsu that way, if I was hungry, and I was! I'm always hungry!" That was something he tried hard to keep under control. Most of the time his hunger was a minor ache, but it could quickly increase to pain. "And it did work." He added in an undertone. Gin hadn't lied, really. His semen had been full of powerful reiatsu. Then the ice block holding Luppi shattered. "Oh look, he's alive."

"Too bad." Grimmjow grunted as he listened to Luppi's threats to Hitsugaya. "Dumbass. He got ass kicked so hard he has boot marks in his ass." Ichigo laughed, making a mental note of that phrase for later. It sounded great.

"Well, even so, it looks like the mission is done. Do you forgive me for blowing Gin?" He asked, widening his eyes pitifully as the golden light began to sweep them away. Blue eyes met brown, and Grimmjow suddenly gripped his chin.

"I guess." They kissed just as the golden light pulled them out of view, and Urahara sighed.

He'd never seen this side of Ichigo when the boy was alive, and he deeply regretted it.


	3. Bad Sushi is Bad

Ichigo stood in the throne room, in front of Aizen, and resisted the urge to turn around and smile at Grimmjow. The attitudes of his fellow Espada were interesting. Ulquiorra was his usual, quiet self, and Yammy was a bit sullen about his bruises. Luppi was downright pissed, though. Ichigo thought of reminding him it was his own damn fault, but decided not to. Aizen would likely do it for him.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't have predicted you would be beaten so badly." Aizen said smoothly in response to a comment from Luppi and Ichigo couldn't help but giggle.

"Hai, Ichigo, you find that funny? You didn't kill your shinigami either!" Luppi was clearly extremely pissed at them all. Ichigo put a hand on his hip, then blinked as he heard the girl behind them gasp. He glanced at her and she had a hand over her mouth, looking at him with huge grey eyes.

"That's because I was playing grab ass with him. You, on the other hand, just got your ass kicked. And I even left Yammy and Grimmy to help you, but you made them sit on the sidelines and watch your moment of glory. You're a moron." Ichigo said insolently. He was finding he really didn't like the sexta Espada.

"Me? What about your garganta this morning?" Luppi snarled and Ichigo grinned, playing with his braid with one hand.

"I just wanted to feed Grimmjow some coconuts. They do wonders for the constitution." He replied and glanced back, seeing Grimmjow resting his face in his hand. He was causing his fraccion mental pain again, he could tell. "Maybe you should try some, maybe you'll even be able to defeat that taichou next time – "

"Ichigo, Luppi." Aizen's tone was gently admonishing but they both fell silent instantly. "Ah yes, I know. Orihime, heal Grimmjow's left arm as a demonstration of your power." That made Ichigo go stiff with shock, and he glanced back to meet Grimmjow's surprised blue eyes. He turned away from the throne, not caring what Aizen thought as he looked at his fraccion.

Ichigo completely ignored Luppi's ranting as he watched the golden light form. He drew a breath, taking a step forwards as he felt the power of it. It called out to him, and he knew, somehow, that he could devour it if he chose. But Ichigo restrained himself, just watching as Grimmjow's arm was rebuilt.

"Grimmjow?" He said questioningly, but the fraccion was ignoring him, flexing his arm. "Grimmjow…" Ichigo stepped back, dropping his head and looking away as Grimmjow asked Orihime to heal the scar on his back. He understood what was going to happen, and it was a punishment, not just for Luppi but also for himself.

Luppi's violent death did not surprise Ichigo in the least, but Grimmjow's declaration that he was the sixth Espada cut at his heart. Shaking his head at himself, he turned his attention to Luppi's corpse. He should be glad for Grimmjow, even if it did mean he no longer had a fraccion…

Kneeling beside the body, Ichigo pursed his lips and created a gentle suction on the fallen souls. He was vaguely aware of everyone watching, even Grimmjow's insane laughter fading as they watched him devour what remained of Luppi. But Ichigo didn't care. He was a walking appetite, and he was not going to leave the body uneaten. He'd never liked Luppi anyway.

"Not bad." Ichigo muttered, feeling almost content as he stood. He was still a touch hungry, but Luppi would last him for a long time. Then he glanced at Orihime, an idea occurring to him. "Aizen-sama, I no longer have a fraccion. Could this woman be my fraccion?" Inoue's hand went to her mouth again, and she gave him that strange, wide-eyed look. Aizen tilted his head to one side, clearly thinking about it.

"Come here, Ichigo." He finally said and Ichigo obediently walked up to the throne. "Kneel." He knelt, lifting his head as Aizen rested a hand on the top of his head. Ichigo blinked as purple light played over him, and felt it as Aizen gently invaded his mind. It wasn't painful, and he had no real secrets from his master. Whatever he found seemed to satisfy him, and Aizen removed his hand. "Yes, Ichigo, you may have her as a fraccion. Ulquiorra, make sure you check up on her on occasion."

"Hai." Ulquiorra said tonelessly, but Ichigo didn't think he was very happy.

"Huh. Replacing me pretty fast, ain't ya?" Grimmjow said, looking at him with half-lidded eyes. Ichigo gave him a bright smile, hiding the pain in his heart.

"I need someone to remind me to put on my pants in the morning." He said lightly and had the satisfaction of seeing Grimmjow roll his eyes. "And she's a girl, I'm sure she can braid my hair better than you."

"Hey, braiding that shit was fucking difficult with one arm! But whatever. I have things to do." Grimmjow huffed before stalking out of the throne room and Ichigo watched him go. Then he sighed, turning to Orihime. She was looking at him like he was the only lifeline she had in her insane world.

"Come on, Inoue, let's get you some clothes. Then I'll show you my rooms, how's that?" He said encouragingly and she nodded with a hesitant smile.

"Yes, Kurosaki-kun." She said softly and Ichigo paused. He didn't remember her face, but that way of addressing him… he remembered that. He remembered her voice saying his name that way before.

"Just Ichigo." He said with a smile. That was friendlier, and he wanted to be friendly with her. Although he'd never be quite as friendly with Inoue as he'd been with Grimmjow. She was lacking a penis, just for starters. Ichigo glanced towards the throne and, receiving a nod from Aizen, took her hand and escorted her out of the throne room. "It's a bit of a walk. Mind if I carry you so we can sonido?" He didn't really feel like wasting time right now. Orihime nodded hesitantly but then put a hand on his shoulder, making Ichigo look at her in surprise.

"Kurosaki-kun? Do you remember me?" She said and Ichigo looked at her, trying to remember. But it was blank, except for the memory of her voice saying Kurosaki-kun.

"No, sorry. I just remember that you always called me that." He said honestly, although he knew it wasn't the answer she wanted. "Don't worry about it, Inoue. You're my fraccion so anyone who messes with you, messes with me. I'll protect you." Those words made her smile weakly. Then she squeaked as he hoisted her up in his arms. "Grab hold, this'll be fast!" She gripped his shoulders tightly as he sonido'd over to the garment stores.

It took some doing to find an outfit that fit Orihime's boobs. Ichigo was tempted to put her into something that matched his clothes, but she'd blushed scarlet when he suggested it. So instead, she ended up in a rather pretty gown with a full length skirt. Ichigo admired her a moment.

"That looks good on you." He complimented her and was surprised to see her blush. "Hop up and I'll show you my rooms." She laughed and jumped up into his arms. Ichigo smiled at the feeling of her ripe body against his. He'd thought he was completely gay, but perhaps he was wrong about that. Still, he didn't think Orihime was his type.

Soon he showed her the rooms, and she started making herself at home in Grimmjow's former quarters. To Ichigo's pain, he saw the Espada had already removed his few personal belongings. He forced a smile to his face as he showed Inoue the kitchen, a smile that became more genuine as she discovered he had all the ingredients for cookies, including some very good chocolate chips.

"If you make them, I'll eat them." Ichigo pledged as she began pulling out ingredients. She gave him a radiant smile and Ichigo felt almost enchanted. Grimmjow had never been that happy about cooking.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo blinked as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before going back to her baking. Feeling bemused and saddened, he retired to his own room. He needed a fraccion, and was glad to have Orihime, but it didn't make up for the loss of Grimmjow.

_Will he come back?_ Ichigo wondered as he lay down on his couch. _Or was he only sleeping with me because he had to?_ That thought hurt. He'd always known it was a possibility, even though he let Grimmjow dominate him. Ichigo took a deep breath, and let it out in a long, shuddering sigh. If that was the case, he would find comfort in someone else's arms. Szayel would certainly be receptive, and Starrk probably would be too. Even Ulquiorra might…

"Kurosaki-kun? Are you okay?" Ichigo looked towards the connecting door, seeing Inoue standing there with her hands folded in front of her. He wondered if he should burden the woman with his problems. But if he couldn't tell his fraccion what was on his mind, who could he tell?

"I'm just thinking about Grimmjow. When he was my fraccion, we were lovers." He heard her gasp and smiled sadly. "That's a surprise? I think I'm pretty much gay." His vague attraction to her curves hadn't been very strong, and he knew she was a beautiful woman. Orihime looked shocked and disbelieving.

"Kurosaki-kun… are you sure? Or – Or is this because you died?" She asked and Ichigo shook his head.

"I can't know for sure, of course, since I can't remember my living life. But I think I was always gay." He said frankly and winced as he heard her sniffle. "I'm sorry Orihime." Maybe this trying to tell her his problems wasn't going to work out. But she rallied quickly.

"It's okay, Kurosaki-kun. But what were you saying about Grimmjow?" She asked and Ichigo sighed, his mind going back to his problems.

"We were lovers, but he was my fraccion. I let him dominate me because I knew his pride couldn't stand anything else, but he was still my fraccion. For a fraccion, the Espada they serve is everything." Ichigo stared at the ceiling, memorizing the curves of it. "Now he's an Espada again and I – I wonder if he will want to have sex with me. Or if he was just doing it because he had to." Such a painful thought, but it had to be faced. There was a brief moment of silence and then both arrancar and human started as the door to his room slammed open violently.

"Kurosaki!" Ichigo pulled himself up as something blue and grinning swept into his room. Then he was immediately knocked back as Grimmjow pounced on him, forcing him back down into the cushions. "Where the hell have you been, you asshole?" Grimmjow demanded before biting his throat and making the zero Espada gasp. Ichigo heard Orihime squeak softly behind them. "I've been looking all over for you! It's time to fucking celebrate!" Ichigo blinked and almost giggled at that thought. It made sense, but it hadn't occurred to him that this might be Grimmjow's reaction to suddenly having is powers back.

"And you think I'm just going to let you top me?" Ichigo said, abruptly turning the tables on his lover. He surged up against Grimmjow and they both ended up on the floor, the blue haired Espada on his back as Ichigo leaned in to give him a deep and penetrating kiss. He was vaguely aware of Inoue closing the door, then retreating to her own quarters. "You're an Espada again, with two arms. I don't have to humor you anymore." Grimmjow growled, a deep vibration that made Ichigo lick his lips as furious blue eyes met brown and red.

"Yeah? We'll see who's stronger!" Things turned into a sexual wrestling match then, and Ichigo revelled in the feel of the hard muscles and warm body against him. For a moment, he was tempted to give in just to start the sex more quickly, but he decided against it. He really wanted to feel Grimmjow writhing in pleasure beneath him.

And he got what he wanted. He finally forced the panting Espada to his knees and bit into his neck, not at all gently. Grimmjow gasped as Ichigo's reiatsu filled the air, pressing him down and holding him in place. Ichigo licked his fingers before preparing the Espada, enjoying it as growls turned into soft moans.

"You okay there?" Ichigo asked in concern as Grimmjow growled again. He really did care for the blue haired Espada, and while he could easily overpower him he never wanted to really hurt Grimmjow. That would be wrong on so many levels.

"Just shut up and fuck me, Kurosaki!" That snarl made him grin. Even on his knees, Grimmjow was still Grimmjow. Tenderness was completely wasted on him.

"Okay then." Ichigo began to ease inside, taking his time and making certain it wouldn't hurt. Torturing Grimmjow with the slowness of his penetration was an added bonus, and he enjoyed it as Grimmjow released a howl that reminded him of a cat in heat. "Ahhh yes." Ichigo moaned as he was fully seated in the Espada, then pulled out and slammed back in roughly. The tight heat around him was nothing compared to the sounds Grimmjow was making, and his own voice joined in as the sounds of excellent fucking filled the air.

Ichigo nipped Grimmjow throat again, mauling the sensitive skin as he pounded inside, finding the best spots effortlessly. Grimmjow's jacket rubbed against his chest and Ichigo growled, tearing apart the offending fabric with one hand. Getting that out of the way, he deliberately rubbed his scent over the Espada, marking his claim. Just as Grimmjow had marked him. _Mine. Mine!_

Ichigo reached under Grimmjow, finding his erection and gripping the straining flesh with one hand. He began to stroke the Espada in time with his thrusts, making the blue haired man keen in appreciation. Ichigo breathed heavily into blue hair, savoring the feeling of being inside him. This was his first time penetrating, rather than being the one taken, and he was enjoying every moment of it.

Things came to a head sharply and unexpectedly. Ichigo felt Grimmjow's cock twitch in his hand, and the Espada howled as he reached completion, creamy come dampening Ichigo's hand and staining the floor. The feel of muscles clenching tight around him took the zero Espada over the edge, and he slammed into Grimmjow once more before tensing with a cry, his body spasming with his own release. Coming down from the high of pleasure, Ichigo sighed and slowly pulled away, letting his hands rest on Grimmjow's hips. That had felt so amazing –

Ichigo suddenly yelped as his fellow Espada abruptly turned the tables on him. Grimmjow slammed him onto his back, and Ichigo blinked as he looked up into furious and lustful blue eyes.

"You better be ready for another round, Kurosaki. Because I might let you into my ass, but I'm damned well getting into yours." Grimmjow growled, nuzzling his throat. Ichigo's breath caught in his throat for a moment before he bared his throat for the other, giving him the only signal he needed.

"I love it both ways. Dominate me, you bastard." He said, knowing that would inflame Grimmjow more than any sweet nothings ever could. He was right, and teeth dug into his throat as hot, strong hands explored his body. Then his pants, which he'd just pulled down, were completely ripped off with a sound of shredding fabric. Ichigo didn't care, any more than Grimmjow had cared about his jacket. A bit of rough preparation later, and Grimmjow was inside him, stretching him and filling him. "Err-argh!" Sparks danced in front of his eyes, and they weren't all from pleasure. "N-Not enough lube, you prick!" He gasped, getting used to the pain. It wasn't really that bad, though. His arrancar body could take a lot of abuse.

"You love it, Kurosaki." Grimmjow growled and Ichigo met bright blue eyes, loving the fire in them as the other Espada began to take him in at a fast and furious pace. "Don't lie, I can smell it."

"Never said I didn't." Ichigo gasped, clamping his legs tightly around the other Espada's waist. It felt so damned good, having Grimmjow inside him. Just as good as being inside the other, just different. "Ah yes!" Grimmjow nailed his pleasure spots and Ichigo groaned, yanking the blue haired man down into a deep, open mouthed kiss. His neglected cock rubbed against both their stomachs, sending fissions of pleasure to his brain. Then Grimmjow was stroking him with one rough, callused hand and Ichigo arched into the touch. "Fuck yes!"

They were both impatient and highly aroused, so it was just as fast as the previous time. Ichigo felt his whole body go tight as his orgasm came over him, his voice rising in a perfectly sweet cry of absolute pleasure. Grimmjow growled in his ear and thrust into him several more times before he howled, gripping Ichigo's hips tightly enough to hurt. They both just looked at each other for a long moment, panting and trembling with the afterglow.

"You are a really good fuck, Kurosaki." Grimmjow finally said and Ichigo smirked, pulling the blue haired Espada down for a rough kiss.

"And you say the most romantic things." He whispered in Grimmjow's ear, grinning as he felt the man shiver. "Best two of three?" He asked and had the pleasure of seeing Grimmjow's eyes open wide in shock.

"How the fuck? Kurosaki!" He yelped as Ichigo began to bite his throat again. "I can't… three in a row? Are you crazy?"

"I'm hungry." Ichigo whispered and Grimmjow growled, trying to shove him away. "What?" He asked, baffled.

"I'm not letting you eat me, you dick!" He snarled and Ichigo blinked before remembering Luppi. And he realized that Grimmjow was genuinely afraid of him, although he would die before admitting it. As a fraccion, that fear had made sense, but it actually hadn't changed now that he was an Espada again.

"I don't need food, I just ate Luppi. I meant I'm hungry for… ah, nevermind." This was getting frustrating. Ichigo jumped to his feet and went to the closet, looking for clothes. "You know what? I've changed my mind. Why don't we go spar?" He suggested, which made Grimmjow's blue eyes gleam. "I want to see what you can do with both arms."

"Now you're talking!" Grimmjow leapt back up to his feet and found his pants, pulling them on. They had managed to survive, unlike his jacket, and he snorted as he stirred the torn pieces of fabric with one foot. Then he blinked as Ichigo quickly went to the bathroom and grabbed a rag, coming back to clean the floor. "Let the woman do that."

"No way. I'll let her clean up everything else, but not our come stains on the floor." Ichigo said firmly. Grimmjow laughed harshly. "That's just wrong."

"Must be a human thing. Come on, hurry up." The Sexta said impatiently as Ichigo cleaned everything up, then tossed the rag in the trash. Then he grabbed Grimmjow's jacket and tossed it in too. "Oi! Enough already!"

"Impatient." Ichigo said teasingly. "Okay, I'm done. Let's go." They both sonido'd out to the training grounds. And Ichigo smiled in anticipation. He wasn't going to go easy on Grimmjow, not at all.

They'd see what the Sexta Espada could do.

* * *

"Tosen!" The dark skinned shinigami started slightly. He hadn't been aware that Ichigo was there, which, given his senses, was rather shocking. But the arrancar could move incredibly silently when he chose. He turned and tilted his head as Ichigo held out a plate of… what? "Would you like some sushi?" The zero Espada was grinning like a lunatic and Tosen felt a stab of unease.

"Ah… what kind of sushi are they?" He asked, stalling for time as his senses ran over the food. It felt… different.

"Oh, don't be a pussy." Grimmjow came up behind Ichigo, grinning. "Try one, you'll _love_ it."

"I will pass." Tosen said instantly. He wasn't that stupid. Ichigo pouted before elbowing Grimmjow in the side.

"You ruined it! He knows you hate him. Man, I can't even give these things away." The zero Espada complained before eating a piece of sushi. "Mff… ghk… glarg!" Tosen watched, fascinated, as Ichigo barely managed to keep the food down. His appetite was already legendary in Los Noches, so it had be spectacularly bad. "I don't want to eat all of these things." He complained as Grimmjow laughed.

"Bet you wish I was still your fraccion. Have fun, dumbass." He clasped Ichigo on the shoulder for a moment before entering the meeting room. The zero Espada sighed. Then his eyes went wide at the sound of a quiet voice behind him.

"Shoot to kill, Shinso." Ichigo yelped, using the plate of food to block Gin's strike. The plate shattered and sushi went flying, but the zero Espada still managed to dodge. Tosen also had to dodge, just barely avoiding being impaled by Gin's shikai.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't know it would make you puke!" Ichigo babbled frantically as he lunged forward, gripping Gin's robes. "I'm really sorry! I'll blow you off to apologize, I really didn't mean to make you sick!" Gin hesitated just as Aizen stepped out of the meeting room.

"What is the commotion out here?" He surveyed his shinigami and the zero Espada, who was sprawled out in front of Gin. "Gin, care to explain?"

"This idiot fed me poison!" Gin gripped Ichigo's hair, pulling the wincing Espada up to glare into his face, his eyes opened just a touch with the force of his ire. "Those damned sushi! I don't know what the hell he put into them, but they're dangerous!"

"Really?" Aizen said calmly, picking up a piece of sushi and eating it. Gin's hand in Ichigo's hair loosened, and the zero Espada thumped down onto his butt, turning to watch as their leader sampled Orihime's cooking. "Interesting. Very… piquant. What is in that?"

"Uh…. She mentioned pineapple, anchovies and chocolate…" Ichigo mumbled, and Aizen gave them all a benevolent smile. Tosen looked at the discarded sushi, very glad he hadn't tried one.

"I see. Perhaps you should have her make snacks for our meetings sometime. Calm yourself, Gin, they are definitely not poisonous. Now, the meeting is about to begin." Aizen went back into the meeting room as all three of them stared after him.

"I have never respected him more than I do now." Ichigo said, awed. "Ow!" He winced again as Gin gripped his hair, yanking him up.

"Fine, I'll let ya live. But you will be blowing me off sometime for that." Gin said sharply and Ichigo nodded. He honestly deserved it, for inflicting that kind of thing on the shinigami. "C'mon, Aizen is waiting."

"Right!" Ichigo hesitated over the mess on the floor but Tosen summoned up one of Aizen's personal gophers to clean it up. He quickly went into the meeting room, glad of at least one thing.

The sushi was gone. Just that was worth giving Gin a bit of oral sex.


	4. Endless Hunger

Ichigo frowned as he stepped into his quarters.

He'd spent the day running errands for Aizen. The first had been dragging in a few Adjuchas for him to transform into arrancar. That had been fun, although he'd been strictly forbidden to eat them. They had turned into two girls, one very buxom and slightly ditzy, the other small and intense. Ichigo didn't know what was going to happen to them, and didn't really care. Neither one was Espada level, so they'd find a place somewhere in Aizen's army.

Something was wrong though. The walls were thick here, to ensure privacy between Espada and fraccion, but Ichigo could still hear someone speaking from Orihime's side of the suite. He scowled and went to the connecting door, opening it silently.

The sight inside made his blood boil. He recognized the two arrancar in his room, Loly and Menolly. They were basically Aizen's fraccion, along with plenty of other gophers and suck ups. Ichigo had no idea if their leader was having sex with them, and he really didn't care. What he cared about was the fact that his fraccion was sniffling and looking well beat up. Bruises were already forming on her face and the sight made him want to kill.

And there was no reason not to, but he had to ensure Orihime's safety first. Loly's hand was in the front of her dress, and fabric ripped easily as Ichigo moved with lightning fast speed. Loly was left holding nothing but a piece of fabric just before a hand slapped her away with stunning force.

"Loly!" Menoly came at him with a cero and Ichigo grinned. Grimmjow could have told her how futile that was, and the zero Espada just watched, letting her get her hand almost to his face. Then he inhaled the energy, savoring it like a fine wine. "Wh-wh-what…" Menoly stared at her now empty hand and screamed as Ichigo grabbed her shoulders.

"I'm very hungry, and Aizen wouldn't let me eat those Adjuchas today. I think you'll be fine to – eh?" Ichigo turned his head as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Inoue?"

"Kurosaki-kun… please, don't." She said softly, and he could see how she was trembling as she tried to stand. Ichigo tossed Menoly away, none too gently, and quickly put his arms around her to steady her.

"Why shouldn't I? Look what they've done to you." He said softly before favoring Loly with a glare. She was finally managing to pull herself up. "I should eat them both." They wouldn't be much of a meal compared to Luppi, but they would help assuage his endless hunger. He saw Menoly shudder, but Loly just glared at him.

"Aizen will kill you!" She threatened and Ichigo blinked. Was she utterly delusional? Gently setting Orihime down onto the couch, he walked over to the trembling brunette. "Kill you dead!"

"You're stupid as fuck, you know that?" He said conversationally as he grasped her neck, hoisting her into the air. "You know why you're stupid? Because you're an arrancar. Not even an Espada. Orihime, now, she's human. But she has a power that cannot be replicated, a power that lets her heal anything. Do you know what that _means,_ you dumb piece of shit?" Ichigo snarled as he shook her violently. Orihime was watching with a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. "It _means_ that with Inoue as a medic, Aizen can throw the Espada into battle again and again! Fatal wounds can be healed, limbs can be restored… like _Grimmjow's…_ even the dead can be resurrected, if the body hasn't faded! And you're in here beating the shit out of her, and you think Aizen's going to give a fuck if I eat you? He'd probably thank me!" Loly gagged as his hand tightened and Ichigo looked at her with hot, hungry eyes. He wanted to eat her, he really did.

"Kurosaki-kun." Orihime's voice was small and fragile, and Ichigo glanced at her for a moment. He knew she wouldn't understand his desire, would only see the horror and violence. So he snarled and threw Loly into Menoly, who was backing towards the door.

"Take your bitch and get out of here. And if I ever see the two of you in my rooms again, I will eat you. Now go!" Menoly grabbed Loly and they both ran out of the room as if a monster was on their heels, which was close to the truth. Ichigo watched them go and turned to Orihime, sitting beside her on the couch and examining your injuries. "Can you heal yourself?" He said, turning her head with gentle fingers. She looked at him with wide grey eyes, but then swallowed and nodded.

"Yes." Ichigo watched as that beautiful golden power filled the room again and sighed. He wanted to eat that too, he knew he could. He restrained himself with an iron will, waiting until Orihime was fully healed.

"Good – mph?" Ichigo was surprised as Inoue suddenly leaned over and kissed him. It wasn't a chaste kiss, either. It was a full, opened mouth kiss that ignited his carefully held back hunger. "N-No…" Ichigo tried to pull away without hurting her, but it was too late. His power eagerly took what she had to offer and Orihime vanished in golden sparks. "No!" Ichigo gasped, vaguely aware that something was wrong. But there was no time to think about it as his soul rebelled, frantically trying to get his fraccion back. "Inoue, no!" Tears filled his eyes as he grasped the empty air where she had been. He'd killed her. He hadn't meant to but he had –

The zero Espada froze in shock then, as golden sparks left his body. They danced in front of his startled eyes, reforming into a rather dazed looking Orihime. She blinked slowly at him as Ichigo grasped her shoulders, feeling faint with relief.

"Oh my god, Inoue! Don't kiss me like that again!" He exclaimed and she actually looked hurt for a moment before he went on. "I thought I'd eaten you! I thought you were dead!" Although… it hadn't felt at all like his normal feedings. When he fed on another arrancar or hollow, it was a taking, a tearing apart and absorbing of souls and energy. This time it had felt more like he'd swallowed Orihime whole, keeping her safe in his chest. Was it because she was human, or her special power?

"It didn't feel bad." She said dreamily, then blinked. "It felt warm and safe." Ichigo's mouth dropped open for a moment. That matched what he had felt. What did it mean? And how had he removed her from himself?

"Well, let's not do that again. Not unless Szayel is monitoring us, anyway." Ichigo said firmly. It might be worth looking into, but only in a scientific way. Orihime nodded, biting her lip. "Ugh." He thought for a moment, trying to figure out what to do.

He needed to do something. Aizen wasn't making it his sole duty to look after Orihime, he expected the zero Espada to still pull his weight among the arrancar. Ichigo had thought his reputation would keep troublemakers at bay, but Loly was clearly insane. And Menoly was her loyal lap dog. So Ichigo needed a fraccion, more arrancar who were devoted to keeping Orihime safe. His thoughts went back to the two brand new arrancar he'd brought in this morning. He didn't know anything about them, but maybe…

"C'mon Orihime, there's someone I want you to meet." Ichigo said with a smile, taking her hand. She looked at him curiously but didn't ask as he picked her up and sonido'd through the fortress.

He could guess where the newcomers would be. They'd be with the medics, adjusting to their new humanoid forms, discovering their level of power and getting over the shattering of their masks. As soon as he reached the medical wing he dropped out of sonido, setting Orihime down. She looked around curiously, staying close behind him as he stalked the halls.

"Hey, you two!" He called as he spotted the arrancar he was interested in. The buxom one was sitting on a bed while the smaller one was sitting on the floor, cross legged. He paused to look them both over.

The one sitting on the bed was a big breasted, big hipped blonde with a surprisingly tiny waist. Her hair was cornflower blond, flowing past her hips in a beautiful tide. Her eyes were a lovely blue, and would have been lovelier if they hadn't been quite so vacant. Ichigo wasn't sure yet – it could just be an illusion – but he had the definite feeling that if he shone a flashlight in one ear, he'd see a light coming out the other side. She was wearing a full gown similar to Inoue's, and her hollow hole was in the centre of her chest. Mask fragments adorned her wrists like bracelets.

Her companion – sister now, arrancar who were changed at the same time were 'siblings' – was the opposite. Very short and slender, she had spiky black hair and numerous body piercings. Five silver rings in one ear, and a dangling silver owl earring in the other, as well as a stud in her nose. Her mask was similar to Grimmjow's, a line of bone on her face. The numero uniform she wore was tightly tailored and made her look like a boy, and her hollow hole was in her right shoulder. Her green eyes were as bright as her sisters' were dull.

"Yes?" The smaller one said, tilting her head to one side. The blonde just smiled dreamily. Ichigo smiled at them both as Orihime looked at them, confused.

"I'm Ichigo, the zero Espada. I'm looking for a few more to add to my fraccion." He said, and that caught both their attentions. "What are your names? And can you tell me anything about yourselves?"

"I'm Mysteria Junji." The buxom blonde said, sounding a bit out of it. "I remember flowers! Lots of flowers!" Everyone blinked at that and Ichigo honestly had no idea what to say. "I think I was a florist in the Living World." Then she giggled and bounced, her boobs doing a good jello impression.

"Err, okay." Ichigo said, a little creeped out. He turned to the brunette. "And you?"

"Michelle Cavlier." She said calmly, and Ichigo wondered how she'd ended up with a French name. "I spread terror in my wake and devoured souls across all of Hueco Mundo. I aimed to be a Vasto Lorde, and someday, I will be one of the Espada." Ichigo lifted an eyebrow and touched her power for a moment before shaking his head.

"That's gonna take a while, but go for it. Would you like to be my fraccion? I'll bring you some good meals." That would appeal to Michelle, if she was serious about her aspirations. And it wouldn't be very hard for Ichigo, as long as Aizen wasn't asking him to bring in new arrancar. "See, this is Orihime. She's my current fraccion." Orihime shifted uncomfortably as the two arrancar looked at her curiously. "She's human, as you can tell, but she has a unique and very valuable power as well as being mine. But some people here are completely bugfuck, apparently, and she was attacked. I'm the zero Espada, the most powerful, but I can't be with her all the time. If you girls become part of my fraccion your duty will be to guard Orihime at all times."

"I can do that!" Mysteria said happily. Michelle mulled it over for a moment before nodding shortly. "I bet it will be fun, she seems a lot more interesting than my new sister! Tee-hee!" Ichigo watched, a touch wide-eyed, as Mysteria bounced up and down. Her boobs moved in ways even he found slightly interesting, and he knew any heterosexual male would have sweaty palms. Michelle sighed and stood, adjusting her clothing.

"I'm just glad we have a place. I heard what Yammy did to the last medic to treat him." She said grimly and Ichigo was glad to see she wasn't completely delusional about her own powers. "And he's the tenth. I have a long way to go."

"He's actually the first when he's unsealed." Ichigo corrected her, and Michelle looked appalled. "You should probably aim for the ninth, he'd be easier to take down than Yammy." The zero Espada quickly decided that he would help her to get stronger. He found her aspirations entertaining, and he wasn't very fond of Aaroniero anyway.

"Oh." She said weakly. "Thank you. I'll definitely keep that in mind." Ichigo grinned as he brought them both back to his apartment.

"It's going to be a bit crowded now, but it would probably be better for all three of you to stay together." He commented as he showed them around Orihime's rooms. Fortunately, it was a large suite. With only one fraccion, Nnoitra hadn't stinted on the space given to Tesla. "I'll get some more furniture, if you want." Right now Orihime had a bed in a separate room, but the main room only had a couch, a low table in front of the couch, and a table with chairs near the kitchen. The table had four chairs so unless they had visitors, it would be perfect. Michelle shook her head.

"I'll sleep on the floor, on a mat. I don't like beds. Mysty can have the couch if she wants." She said firmly and Mysteria giggled.

"Mysty, I like that! I'll take the couch, tee-hee!" The tee-hee was punctuated with another small bounce and jiggling breasts. Ichigo blinked, vaguely wondering what he'd gotten himself into. But… one of them had to be better at cooking than Orihime. Speaking of which.

"Can either of you cook? Orihime has many duties, so I would like it if one of you could take over that." To his surprise, Michelle immediately volunteered.

"I'll do it. I'm an excellent cook." She said firmly. Ichigo would have been more reassured by that, but Orihime clearly thought she was a good cook. Unfortunately, it was a horrible delusion. "I'll make supper for us tonight and you will see." She gave the zero Espada a challenging look, and he shrugged good naturedly.

"If that's what you want. I'll eat almost anything." Before, he would have said anything, but now it was almost. Grimmjow's cooking had only been bland, he hadn't been prepared for outright bad. Mysty laughed, jiggling again. "Now I – oh damn." Ichigo grimaced. He could feel Aizen summoning him, so he'd gotten this done just in time. "Aizen wants me. You girls stay safe!" He sonido'd out, unwilling to keep Aizen waiting.

Although he wondered what his lord and master could want from him now.

* * *

Orihime looked at her new guardians, feeling a bit like a deer in the headlights.

The arrancar were all dangerous to her. Ulquiorra checked on her often, and he was so strange. He made her feel shivery inside, afraid yet… intrigued. Loly and Menoly had simply been dangerous. The only person she felt like she could trust here was Ichigo. She had placed all her trust in him, in fact.

They had all been heartbroken when Ichigo died, and more heartbroken when the shinigami had sadly reported that he had not arrived in Soul Society. They'd known he must have become a hollow, but they'd hoped he might have avoided becoming an arrancar.

That hope was dead, but in a way, Orihime was glad. Kurosaki-kun was very different as an arrancar, but strangely enough, he seemed happier. It was odd. Ichigo as an arrancar was full of emotions, lusts and needs that he was constantly trying to fill. Needs for the excitement of combat, desires for sex and emotion closeness as well as food. Orihime suspected that wasn't normal for an arrancar, and she knew his appetite wasn't normal. Ichigo was careful not to get too hungry, but every so often she saw him giving his fellow arrancar odd, dreamy looks. They could have been confused with sexual fantasizing, but given some of the strange things he was looking at, Orihime was sure it was actually his desire to feed.

And now, she was alone with two new arrancar. Michelle glanced around before shrugging and going to the kitchen and Orihime hesitated a moment before sitting down beside Mysty.

"Do you like flowers? My favorite was orchids." Mysty said cheerfully and Orihime had to smile. Most arrancar remembered at least one thing about their life as a human or shinigami, and for Mysty it was clearly flowers.

"I've always loved star lilies." She said with a smile, then looked up as Michelle called from the kitchen.

"Are you two hungry? Because I'm starving!" Orihime winced a little at that. After seeing Ichigo in action, the thought of being around starving arrancar was terrifying. But most of them had more control than the zero Espada. Mysty bounced in place.

"Oh yes, me too! Getting our masks broken hurt so much and it was draining." She confided in Orihime. "But it was worth it! I feel stronger already and I'm so much prettier!" She ran her hands over her new gown with a wide smile and Orihime had to laugh.

"You look lovely." She complimented the other girl. "What did you look like before?" She asked curiously. Some arrancar's hollow masks offered hints, but not Mysty's bracelets. She smiled happily.

"I was a lizard! A really big one! Now if I use my zanpakuto, I go back to being something like that!" She rested a hand on the hilt of her weapon. "Maybe I can show you tomorrow! I'm not very pretty like that though." She said sadly and there was a scoffing sound from the kitchen.

"Who cares? You're stronger. I was a cat type, and when I unseal I have a feline form." Michelle said as she poured noodles into boiling water. "What's this special power you have that's so important?" She asked and Orihime reached up to touch her hair clips.

"Oh… Aizen-sama said I have the ability to reject any action taken on an object, and return it to a state before it was damaged." She lowered her eyes as Mysty looked confused and Michelle glanced out of the kitchen. "I can heal anything." She simplified it for Mysty, who looked impressed. "Even death, if it didn't happen too long ago. I can also create a shield and strike out, but… my combat abilities are not very good." Orihime sighed to herself as she admitted that. She just didn't have the desire to kill.

"I can see why you need us, then." Michelle commented from the kitchen. Mysty just giggled and bounced again.

"It's great! I can't heal anything and I'm sure Michelle can't. We can kill and you can heal, we'll be a great team!" She said happily and Orihime smiled at the enthusiasm. It reminded her a little of Kurosaki-kun. Perhaps some hollows just came out that way… but did that mean Mysty would have a greater than usual hunger?

Fortunately, Michelle quickly came out with the food. It was noodles with more of the tofu soul stuff, all covered in a very nice creamy cheese sauce. Orihime's portion had none of the soul tofu, though, to her relief. She'd tried a nibble of it once and it had given her a rush of energy, but it had also burned like fire. She might use it in an emergency, but she didn't want to eat it normally.

"Do either of you play cards?" She suddenly asked and Michelle nodded as Mysty looked confused. "Kurosaki-kun likes to play cards and with four we would have enough for euchre."

"No, but I'd love to learn!" The happy blonde said and Orihime smiled as she began teaching Mysty how to play cards.

This might be a lot of fun.

* * *

"Mmf."

"Fuck, Kurosaki, that's good." Grimmjow groaned, spreading his legs a bit more. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, with Ichigo's mouth busy taking him to heaven. He leaned back, resting on his elbows as the zero Espada pleasured him. "Oh yeah."

Grimmjow couldn't imagine what had gotten into Ichigo today. He'd just run into his rooms and immediately began giving him a blowjob. They almost hadn't even made it to the bedroom, but Grimmjow had a new fraccion now. They might walk into his rooms, but they damned well wouldn't enter his bedroom. No one was that dumb. So he'd managed to get the kid in there, and Ichigo had immediately gone down on him. Which, from a hollow perspective, was weird as hell. Giving oral pleasure was a very submissive thing to do and Ichigo was the zero Espada. He didn't need to submit to anyone, but for some reason he seemed to like having a dick in his mouth.

Grimmjow panted and withered under the attention he was getting, unaware of what had inspired it. If he'd known, he might have run from the room screaming. As it was, he just enjoyed Ichigo's warm mouth and his strong, agile tongue. Not to mention his hands, which were stroking his inner thighs and gently fondling his balls. That felt fucking excellent, and Grimmjow groaned deep in his throat as Ichigo prodded his tip with his tongue.

"I'm gonna…" He managed to say just before he released. He grunted as Ichigo sucked on him, hard, as if he was desperate to get every drop. "Shit, you're such a cum slut." He breathed as the zero Espada pulled away, licking his lips. The look Ichigo gave him was hotter than hell, as the other Espada climbed onto the bed and sat in his lap.

"Smile when you say that, kitty." He said, his voice heavy with desire. Grimmjow snarled as he was shoved back. "I'm going to take you, now that I'm sure I won't eat you." The sixth Espada froze for a moment. Eat him?

He'd thought his fear of that would have gone away when he got his powers back. But it hadn't. He could sense Ichigo's power more clearly now, and it was like the kid had a black hole inside him. It was okay when he was satisfied, but when he was hungry it felt like he was trying to suck the life out of everything around him. Swallowing hard, he suddenly realized what Ichigo had been up to.

"You bastard!" He grabbed the orange braid, yanking Ichigo's head back and making the other Espada wince. "You just fed on me!" He remembered what Ichigo had said about feeding on Gin's reiatsu.

"Blame Szayel and Aizen. They wanted more of those explosives, the first one went boom really nice." Ichigo's hand was on his cock and Grimmjow was getting distracted. The fear only sharpened his desire and he was already getting hard again. "I ate a block of tofu stuff and one of Szayel's fraccion before I came, and I still wanted to eat you. But now I just want to fuck." Grimmjow growled as a slick hand slid behind him, finding his puckered hole. For a moment he considered fighting back, trying to top the little freak, but then he decided against it. He wanted the sex and wanted it right now. He'd take it, this time.

And Ichigo made it feel good. The zero Espada was just as good at dominating as he was at submitting, and it felt fucking wonderful when his legs were pushed up and the other Espada plowed into his body. Not that he just passively took it. No, he was growling and scratching the kid's back as Ichigo bit his throat, staking his claim.

They went at each other like animals then, hard and fast and intense. Ichigo gripped his hair and Grimmjow growled, blue eyes meeting brown and red for a moment before he was yanked into a passionate, open mouthed kiss. Tongues dueled for dominance as their bodies moved together, making the bed shake with the force of their passion. Grimmjow grunted, and then moaned as every thrust seemed to pierce him, setting his body on fire in all the best ways.

"Grimmjow…" Ichigo's breath tickled his ear, his voice hot and intense. "You feel so damned good… ah…!" Ichigo arched a bit and Grimmjow bit him, hard.

"Don't come too soon, bitch." He rasped out then gasped as he was bitten, just as hard. Teeth couldn't get past the hierro and it felt absolutely great.

"You're the bitch tonight, Grimm." Ichigo taunted him as he went in harder and faster, grabbing his hips to get into him even more deeply. "Ngh, yes…" Ichigo's breath was hissing out now, his eyes half closed as he concentrated on the building pleasure between them. And it was building fast. Grimmjow's neglected cock was weeping, and he gasped as Ichigo finally touched it, fisting him and pounding him hard. He howled then, pleasure flooding his system as his come flooded out, flowing over Ichigo's hand and his own chest. A few more quick, spasmodic thrusts and he heard the zero Espada cry out, filling him with hot spurts.

Then Ichigo was pulling away, and Grimmjow was too exhausted to turn the tables on him. He watched the other Espada with half-lidded eyes as Ichigo smiled and pressed a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't get all sappy with me, kid." He mumbled. That was not what he wanted from a lover. Then he blinked as the zero Espada laughed.

"Take it like a man, Grimm." Ichigo whispered and Grimmjow growled, trying to hit him. He got nothing but empty air, and then the other Espada was gone.

The room felt strangely empty without him.


End file.
